Flu Shot
There are some unconfirmed reports (the CDC has not verified the data) that people have died from the H1N1 vaccine. In any given year, roughly 35% of the population receives the flu shot, and this year 50% anticipate getting the H1N1 vaccine, according to a CBS News poll. The Early Show also conducted a random study of 100 doctors around the country and asked them if they would recommend the H1N1 vaccine to patients, 91% said yes, but 9% said no.
According to Associated Content, in Sweden four people have taken the H1N1 vaccine shot and have died within a few days. It is important to note that the shot received in the United States is different than what is being given outside the United States.
The four people who have died in Sweden include: a 74-year-old heart and lung disease patient, a 90-year-old patient, a female patient (no age given) with a history of muscle disease, and a 50-year-old man with a heart condition. Once again, the deaths of these four people in Sweden have not been directly linked to the H1N1 vaccine, but each of them did receive the shot and died within a few days.
In the United States, several different shots containing different ingredients have been issued; the only way to know what you are getting is to ask your doctor for the specific ingredients in your shot.
Is the vaccine safe?
“In medicine…we can never say with 100 percent certainty that anything is safe,” according to Dr. Ashton on the Today Show. “There are always risks. … You have to balance proposed risks versus proposed benefits, and the risk of this virus, we know is particularly high for younger people, including children. The risks of the vaccine, which you can never say are zero as all government health officials and scientists have told us are so low, they are (immeasurable).”
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) chief stated last week that the H1N1 vaccine is “remarkably safe” and that there is nothing scary or unique about it that should keep anyone from getting the vaccine.
